Student loan has become a ‘necessary evil’ for most of the students, which help them to complete their education. In the present social and economic scenario, the education is a costly affair, of which financial expenses cannot be managed without a financial aid in the form of a scholarship or educational loan. Scholarship is reserved for exceptional students and educational loans will be the only resort for an average student to pursue his student loan. The student loan has the advantage of several relaxations in the terms and conditions than a standard loan. However it is essential that the student loan amount including the prescribed interest have to be repaid. The top 5 ways to help the repayment of the student loans are comprehended from the testimonials of the students, who are successful in student loan repayment.

It is a fact the student loan repayment will not be practically easy in the beginning years of ‘struggle of existence’. The student will get a grace period of 6 months to 9 months for the start of the loan repayment after the course completion, which varies according to the nature of the loan. But in the entry level jobs, it will be pretty hard to find the amount for the loan repayment. Proper financial management is the only possible solution to handle the crisis successfully. But it may not be easy to restrict the expenses in the early days, even though you are aware about the student loan and other liabilities. A budgeting will certainly help you to plan the situation well and it can be a winning strategy, if you have the necessary will power to act accordingly.

The negotiation with your debtors can be the next step. You can contact them directly to avail any adjustments in the repayment schedule or can switch on to a more convenient repayment plan. The repayment period has to be selected according to your capability to spare for the monthly installments. The lenders benefits and offers can be another helping hand to pay off the student loans. Now most of the lenders have put forwarded certain benefits and incentives for the loan repayments. The utilization of the relaxations in the interest rates and total debt is certainly advantageous to pay off the student debts.

If you have multiple debts, the best strategy is to consolidate the different loans to a single consolidation loan. Now, Federal consolidation loan is available, which will help to consolidate all federal loans, with certain pronounced advantages in the rates and terms of the loans. However, it will not consolidate the private loans. You have to seek any of the private consolidation loans to mange the private loans. If the multiple debts cannot be consolidated, then you have to pay off the loan with the higher interest rate. The regular follow up of such a strategy will certainly help to pay off the student loan easily.

In case of defaults in the repayment of the student loan, the rehabilitation programs of the lenders can be utilized as the way, which help to pay the student loan. In brief student loans can be compared to the common saying “slow and steady wins the race”. If you are able to start the repayment during the study using money from the vacation jobs or part time jobs, it will certainly help to pay the student loan early. Also, keep in mind that the extended repayment schedule is not advised in all cases as it will levy more money as interest. Hence a planned and intelligent strategy will be the best way to pay the student loan easily.

A business services franchise is a good option for many who are willing to serve the corporate world. A business franchisee needs an investment in terms of fees, real estate, marketing, merchandise etc. there are both small business services as well as high cost businesses in the category. Here we discuss some prominent business services franchises.

Financial services: The financial services space is rapidly growing in India. It is one of the most significant business services in India. According to the latest Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) data, financial services, banking, insurance and real estate sectors have risen by 7.8 per cent in the third quarter of 2009-10. This displays the success of the financial service industry. With the over-all increase in the finance services seekers, finance service providers took to franchise route, thus creating a great scope for franchise opportunity.

Till a few years back, the franchising which was an unknown concept in this field has gained lot of momentum in the present times. Before discussing the factors responsible for this development, let us first get familiar with the term ‘Financial services franchisors’.

Financial services refer to services provided by the financial service companies. The finance service companies encompass a broad range of organisations that deal with money management. A few of these organisations include banks, insurance companies, consumer finance companies, stock brokerages, investment funds etc. These companies offer various services such as asset protection, investment and savings, retirement plans, customer-orientated service, besides offering personal loans, commercial loans, mortgage loans, and education loans for the aspiring students. Financial service providers are on the rise as franchising as a mode of expansion is being opted by this industry. Manish Shah, Associate Director- Business Strategy, Equity & Product Development, Motilal Oswal Securities Ltd shared, “The belief in entrepreneurship and the drive it brings to the business, made Motilal Oswal take the franchise route. Franchising brings more scalability to the business and the business becomes entrepreneur driven.”

Courier Services: Another category of business services is courier service. The companies basically work around transportation of goods from one place to another, delivery of documents, packages, and larger shipments of products. These provide services to companies and individuals who need rapid service, accountability, and tracking that regular mail does not accommodate. Courier services are more reliable and dependable as compared to ordinary postal services due to less time consumed and delivery guarantee. However, with the introduction of modern gadgets and faster modes of transportation this system has also progressed a lot. Moreover, franchising is also one of the main stimulants of its popularity and profitability.

Franchising in this sector has grown with more and more players taking the franchise model for reaching out to far flung areas in the vast nation. Courier service companies are required to deliever important mails and parcels to any part, whether city, town or village in the country. Therefore, franchising can be the best mode for guaranteed delivery of the items. According to DS Patel, Channel Head, DTDC, “Franchising is an essential and most effective way of expanding the network. Opening our own company owned courier offices is very expensive and time consuming. However a franchise outlet is economically beneficial to the company.” As informed by Praveen Govindraj, Assistant General Manager, First Flight Courier, “Franchising definitely helps in directly reaching to far-fling areas for delivering items due to our local partners in those areas.” He further added, “Franchising can be a win-win situation for both the franchisor and franchisees as both benefit from it. The local partner (franchisee) has a much better idea of a particular locality than the main company which is based out of Delhi or Mumbai. Delivering parcels to small towns and cities becomes difficult and also take a lot of time if it is done by the company in metropolitan areas. At such times the local franchisee can be of great help.” This can be the major reason for courier companies to opt for the franchise route. Moreover, having local partners all over the nation, who deliver all items on time, also increases the credibility and profit making of the parent company.

The typical feature of the courier service franchise includes doorstep booking, customer convenience and security of each and every consignment that has been entrusted to it. Jaguar Couriers Franchise, Blazeflash Couriers, etc are some of the franchising companies under this category.

Cartridge refilling: Cartridge refilling forms another business service category. In the modern age of I.T, there is a constantly growing need of cartridgere-fills. Foraying in the cartridge refill industry through franchise route is a promising venture. A cartridge refill franchise offers to its user’s quality refills at a fractional cost. Current industry trends and future projections suggest that printer cartridges demand will continue to multiply at a very fast pace as computers and low cost printers swamp the market. Cartridge World, Cartridge Café, Cartridge Xpress are some of the good low-cost franchise options.

Challenges

Every business has attached to it certain set of challenges. Though the basic challenges remain the same across the board for all business service franchises, their relevance with each sector differs.
Before opting for any of the above options, clear all your doubts. Apart from your initial investment, take into account the ongoing costs that must be paid to your franchisor, including franchise royalties, marketing fees and other required purchases. After you are convinced go ahead and make your mark in the franchising world!

Many novice investors seek information regarding online investment opportunities. Of course, we all want an expert at our disposal. However, most of us cannot afford an expert. A wealth of knowledge is available on the internet for those of us who need the basics to get started. For many novice investors, it may be difficult to discern which sites offer credible information regarding investing. Our guide will discuss the information available for online investors.

Insider Trade Tips

Investors will research and find numerous sources of information regarding online investment opportunities. Investors may receive insider trader tips on a daily basis. This will help them determine which stocks are expected to perform well. Novice investors appreciate this type of advice. Often novice investors are not aware of how to predict which stocks will perform well based only upon news information or information about the business. These tips are especially useful when trading online without the direct help of an experienced investor. Trading software is also available to assist novice investors in making sound business decisions.

Investment Strategy Tips

Many websites offer individuals investment strategy tips on their website. The tips may be regarding stocks, bonds, Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), commodities or other types of investments. Investors are given advice on how to invest in both a bull market and a bear market. The strategies are remarkably different. In a bear market, investors may tend toward safe investments with moderate growth. In bull markets, volatile investments may yield the most return on investment (ROI).

Online websites will also teach investors how to select sound investment opportunities. Market trends will be revealed to help investors make sound decisions regarding investing. Search for companies that offer investors free seminars and online forums. These webinars will teach investors the basics of investing.

Portfolio Diversification

Portfolio diversification strategies are also discussed online. Investors will be informed of the percentages that they should invest in various investments. For instance, experts recommend that approximately 35% of an investor’s portfolio be in precious metals. Precious metals are safe during a declining economy. The price of gold, for instance, rises when the economy is in decline. Investors should be aware of how to structure their portfolio to avoid catastrophic losses.

Investors will learn the difference between safe investments versus volatile investments. Mutual funds are an example of a safe investment. Stocks are a more volatile investment. The more volatile the stock, the more investors must watch the market to avoid losses. Recommended percentages of investments will be revealed through tips offered online. The information provided will be based on historical data, as well as, the current market state. Investors will learn how to identify opportunities, analyze investments, purchase investments and monitor investments.

Daily News and Streaming Quotes

Much of investing requires monitoring the daily news and predicting how political movements, business deals and the economy will affect a particular security. The financial status of a company and its leadership will also affect the stock prices. Acquisition of a new Chief Financial Officer, for instance, may signify growth and change within a company. This indicates that stock prices may increase. Therefore, investors could conclude to enter the market while the price is still low.

News sources that are offered real time are the best types of news sources. Investors will learn how various news releases will affect stocks. Investors should check new sources daily to determine how the news will affect their securities. Many websites offer DVDs to teach investors how to interpret news releases. Investors will find a wealth of knowledge that will move them forward in their investing career.

Market Analysis

Many online websites will analyze stocks and investments for investors. Websites are also available to select the top performers daily. These watch lists will help individuals make decisions with the help of experts who have knowledge of market trends. Other websites will offer daily stock picks to consumers. These individuals invest as a group, which seem to offer more security than investing alone.

Looking for Loan Management Software (LMS)? Here are three things to focus on when selecting one for your business:

1. How much are you willing to pay?

2. Why does your business need a Loan Management Software?

3. What features does your business require in a Loan Management Software?

To help you answer these questions, here is our guide on how to choose the right Loan Management Software for your business.

What is Loan Management Software?

As its name suggests, Loan Management Software was originally designed to help lenders build and maintain relationships with new and existing customers who have borrowed cash. Today, however, Loan Management Software has evolved from a simple contact management system into a robust tool that lets you manage leads, customers, sales, marketing, call centres, scoring, under-writing, payment processing, reconciliation, accounting, backend processing and other types of transactional and operational data, all in one easily accessible solution.

It can also integrate data from other areas of your business without any additional work. A Loan Management software gives lenders and their sales teams all the tools necessary to grow your business in a central hub with the least amount of work possible.

How much does a Loan Management Software cost?

The cost of LMS varies greatly. LMS Providers typically use a transaction-based pricing model, which can depend on a variety of factors, such as the number of active loans and the payment processed.

For the most part, you can expect to pay on a per-transaction, per-month basis or one-time cost depending on the model. You may also come across providers that charge a flat monthly fee but require larger packages or extra fees for support & maintenance. Pricing can range from $1 per transaction per month to hundreds of dollars per month, depending on your business’ unique needs.

Don’t have a budget for LMS software? Or maybe you’re not sure that LMS software is right for your business, but would like to see what it has offer? One option is to schedule a demo of a few LMS Solutions in the market or try a free trial if offered by any of the vendors.

Do you need Loan Management Software?

LMS can make your life as a lender much easier, while also helping your agents and managers get the job done in a more efficient and streamlined way.

If the following statements apply to you, your business needs Loan Management Software:

1. You need a robust Contact management.

At its core, contact management part of the LMS is all about keeping information from various sources organized. If you’re looking for a better way to store and manage customer information, LMS is the best solution for your business. It acts as an entire database for all types of insights on customers, including contact information, loan applications, loan and transaction histories, how customers browse your website, ways and times they’ve applied a loan with your company, demographics, interests, personal preferences and more. You can then use this information to segment customers for marketing purposes or to easily search for customers who fit specific criteria.

2. You’re looking for an automated way to boost sales.

LMS doesn’t just keep your contacts organized – it also offers a bevy of tools to help you boost sales and execute more effective marketing campaigns. These include:

Lead Generation. Find new customers by automatically taking-in leads from various sources like social media, website visitors, lead providers, inbound calls, newsletter sign-ups and more.

Email Marketing. Automatically build email lists, launch email marketing campaigns and measure performance. Loan Management Software can also send email reminders to customers and prospects to drive sales – for instance, by reminding them of abandoned loan applications, suggesting loan products or promotions that they may be interested in and other ways to make up for missed sales opportunities.

3. You’re looking for an automated way to funnel your leads

A robust LMS doesn’t allow you to work on leads, thereby wasting your precious time. It integrates a configurable under-writing engine that does the first level of filtering your quality leads.

Under-writing. Qualify and filter leads automatically with pre-defined set of rules or criteria (Under-writing), so that, you only have to spend of quality leads when they are sent to Credit Bureaus for Scoring.

Scoring. From a lenders perspective, just qualifying leads is not enough to accept the leads because every lead is associated with a certain cost. The leads need to be scored for various criteria before they are accepted. There are various Credit Bureaus in the market that allows the leads to be scored and sometimes, the leads should pass through multiple Bureaus’ Verifications before they are accepted. A good LMS should allow such integrations of multiple Credit Bureaus to score leads and sometimes with an option to define order in which they should pass through each Credit Bureaus

Verification. Now that, we have the quality leads that need to be verified. Only at this point that, your Agents start calling the leads and go through various verification steps of Loan Application. A flexible Loan Management Software lets you define the verification process, call queue, agent allocation to different type of leads, auto originate loans for good leads etc. Any lead that passes this verification is ready for approval upon the customer signing the Electronic Loan Agreement.

4. You’re looking to streamline the Loan Approval Process

Loan Agreement. The Electronic Loan Agreement binds the customers with the lender. Any lender’s choice would be to have multiple loan agreements for different loan types or products and the ability to add or truncate rules based on the lending rules of each state.

E-sign. Any lead that passes this verification is ready for approval upon the customer signing the Electronic Loan Agreement, which is called E-Sign. A good Loan Management Software either has an inbuilt E-Sign mechanism or allows to integrate with E-Sign Services like DocuSign or HelloSign. In-built mechanism obviously reduces the cost while integration allows you to use the service of your choice for E-Sign Process.

Loan Approval. The moment customer signs the E-Sign Document, the Loan Application sent to the Agent’s Manager for Approval. In case of a good lead, if an auto-origination process is defined in the Loan Management Software, the Loan Application is automatically approved and is ready to be funded. Other Loan Applications are approved by the Agent’s Manager and on approval and goes for funding.

5. You’re looking to automate payment processing

Payment Processing. Once the loan is approved, it will be ready for funding. The funding can happen immediately or at the end of each day. An efficient Loan Management Software should be capable of defining when and how the funding should happen every. Usually, the payments are processed through ACH Providers. The Loan Management Software can integrate one or multiple ACH providers based on lender specifics.

Return Processing. Receiving returns from the bank or payment processors and updating them in the LMS can be quite a tedious task. The returned transaction must be charged with an NSF Fee or a Late Fee, which has to be notified to the customer. The LMS you choose should have the ability to automatically process this information.

Collection. Collections are a part of any lending portfolio. Non-performing loans may be handed over to collection agencies by the lenders. This follows a set of rules that varies based on the state and lender. The LMS you choose should have the means to accommodate the rules and should be flexible enough to change at any point of time.

Choosing the right Loan Management Software

Ready to invest in Loan Management software? There are many different types available, so choosing the right one is the key to making it work for your lending business. Here’s what a lender need to ask a potential LMS Provider

1. Is it built for your market and loan types?
2. How easy is it to use? Can I easily train employees?
3. How customizable is the software?
4. What features are available to help me with sales, marketing and other aspects of my business?
5. How easy is it to integrate with third-party providers I already use?
6. What limitations are there to using the software?
7. What engagement models and costing options available? Are there any setup or additional fees? What if I need to expand my portfolio?
8. What type of security features does it have to protect my business’s and customers’ data? What happens if there is an outage? How is my data backed up in the cloud, and can I access it immediately?
9. If I need help, what type of customer service do you offer? Can I reach you any time, or is there a long turnaround period?

I know everyone has a different idea of their dream home. I’m not talking about some 2 Million dollar castle, especially these days. Since the economy took a turn for the worse it has made me start thinking a little differently. Now is the time to start thinking a little smarter. Save should be every ones new motto. The future is unknown and it takes a lot of money just to get by these days.

Even if I had millions of dollars I would not be willing to splurge on a huge house. Having a huge house is just a waste of money, all the upkeep and property taxes along with the insurance just doesn’t make since. It is much wiser to live in a modest house and save all that money just in case things get tough. And of course you cant take it with you so it would be nice to have a large amount of cash to leave behind for the kids. Besides things are just going to get more and more expensive so you might as well save as much as you can while you can.

If you can get enough cash saved up you should be able to live off the interest, but saving that much cash is tough so maybe a better idea is to set yourself up so you can live for free or very close to it. There are ways to do this even though it is not the mainstream way of thinking it is very possible and easier than you may think. As a society in America consumers we are entirely too dependent on other people and the government to provide us with the things we need. For example food, water, electricity, clothes, fuel and just about everything else. This is why I have decided to do things a little different.

My idea of a dream home is a modern little 3 bed 3 bath sitting in the middle of 10 or so acres, covered in home made solar panels with some energy producing home made wind mills around too. It will have heated concrete floors down stairs, with a two story deck and a salt water swimming pool. We will have our own water well of course and it will be filtered with a water treatment system like one you can get from Ecowater or Rainsoft.

These water treatment systems filter all the water coming into your house so you get to bathe, wash your clothes with and drink pure water. They work on city water also. Who knows what is in the water with all the pollution going into our environment these days. If the power grid shuts off, the city wont be sending us any water anyway so its better to be proactive. I want the 10 acres so the kids will have a place to play and ride 4 wheelers, dirt bikes, horses, or whatever they want to do but mainly for a garden, chickens, and a few cows, in case times get real tough we will be able to have our own milk, eggs, veggies, fruit, and meat.

I know this sounds a little bit old fashion but things could go downhill pretty fast if anything major ever goes wrong. I’m not preaching a dooms day scenario, just thinking about how to be on the safe side and retire with a lot of money. Think about it, if you didn’t have to pay an electric bill every month for the rest of your life how much more money you could be saving. Lets just say an extra $300 a month to be on the conservative side. That’s a savings of $3,600 a year, $36,000 every 10 years. Plus no water bill. With purified water in the home you can save a lot of money using pure soap because its cheap, but the catch is pure soap doesn’t work very well in hard water so you have to have a water treatment system. You also save money by not having to buy bottled water and therefor not sending as much plastic to our landfills and reducing your carbon footprint.

I have also sold my big fancy new car and SUV, taken what I had left over after paying the bank note off and bought an older pickup for me and a little car for my wife. I paid about $2,500 each for them and they are paid for. That alone is saving me about $700 a month in car payments, and I can have cheap liability insurance. There is another $8,400 a year I am saving. Those are just a few of the ways you can save money if you put your mind to it. I hope this has inspired you to think about the future and start saving some money.

I was always baffled by this question, even in law school and while working with a big time criminal defense lawyer. One thing I did know: if a person gets prosecuted by the federal government, then he or she is caught on a small watercraft on Lake Erie when a storm suddenly hits. (Lake Erie is quite shallow, and churns up dangerously, with rip-tides and all). I’m not sure if the severity of a federal indictment comes from the prestige of the court, the lifetime appointment of judges, or the sentencing guidelines. A federal courthouse, in my opinion, should be visited by every citizen – not only is the building incredibly aesthetically pleasing, but it has a certain grandeur about it that truly cannot be described.

When I attended a seminar on the federal courts (a lawyer has to do various additional tasks to practice in front of each federal court), an assistant U.S attorney from the Northern District of Ohio spoke. He said the first reason, obviously, that some crimes are prosecuted by the federal government is because they are contrary to federal law. The federal government enforces myriad laws, especially ones relating to mail fraud, firearms, taxes and drugs that cross interstate lines. Rarely, however, does a crime fall exclusively within federal jurisdiction (say, mail fraud or filing false federal income tax). More often than not, a crime is both a violation of federal and state law.

For example: a company targeted poor people, often the elderly and Amish, into becoming members of a discount club for $2000. In exchange for the fee, members were promised access to manufacturers directly. The middleman would supposedly be bypassed. As you can imagine, none of the “contacts” to the manufacturers actually existed. Members saved no money, yet could never obtain a refund. After countless complaints to the Better Business Bureau, the matter was brought to the attention of the FBI (they investigate crime generally), who started investigating the company. The OIG (Office of Inspector General) became involved too. The OIG investigates crimes related to mail. Anyway, the salesmen were indicted by the federal government for mail fraud – because they sent false information to consumers that induced them to act.

The fact is, however, that the crime could easily have been prosecuted in state court on a pure fraud theory. After all, the scam took place in Ohio; the consumers were Ohioians. Yet, the defendants were charged federally. Much of this stems from the extreme nature of the crime and that it caused a lot of financial hardship. Additionally, the investigation was complex and more suited to the federal government. Typically, a federal investigation starts on the desk of a federal agent. He or she must establish certain criteria before the case is brought to an assistant US attorney, who then looks at the facts, the law, resources, the nature of the offense and his professional experience in deciding whether the case should go ahead. So, in sum, most cases depend on: federal law (and if the case has facts that can support a federal charge, even tenuously), who investigates it (was it local police, or did the feds get involved?), and factors analyzed by the US Attorneys Office.

Like I mentioned earlier, the federal government doesn’t mess around when it opts to proceed with charges. Some of the very brightest and most talented people work in the US Attorney’s Office. FBI agents and other agents with investigatory duties are highly trained and screened. (Most state detectives have 600 hours in the police academy.) Federal judges possess c.v’s that young lawyers could only dream of. Federal courts have the very best technology. Federal dockets carry far fewer cases than state courts; thus, each case is closely followed. Federal sentencing guidelines have a presumption of incarceration.

Finally, Double Jeopardy is NOT violated when a defendant is prosecuted in federal court and state court. For example: a defendant commits an armed robbery involving interstate commerce. (The federal government can legislate under the Dormant Commerce Clause for crimes that are at first blush within the states’ powers if the activity affects interstate commerce. Well, just about every robbery of a business involves interstate commerce (goods travel across state lines.)) The defendant is convicted and sentenced per the Sentencing Guidelines. After his sentence is served, he is transported to state custody to face state armed robbery charges. This is perfectly constitutional.

Warren Buffett once said, “The stock market is a device for transferring money from the impatient to the patient”. This applies to both – traders and investors alike. However, if you are an absolute beginner, there is always some room for improvement. We have listed below the 10 best day trading tips that successful traders follow. Learn them mindfully and take note to level up your trading. Moreover, you can also check out the best day trading tips and make money from online trading in Indian stock markets.

This is why rookie traders often look for advice from experts who have carved their names in the industry. Read on to find out what you may require before venturing in this high-risk but ultimately-rewarding industry.

1. Learn from a Professional Trader – Day Trading Tips

It is always better to learn to trade from an expert before you jump directly into the ocean. Try and find out who has a good teaching methodology and carefully choose the one that suits your style. Most of the trainers or masters will definitely charge a fee for the time spared. Don’t you worry! It is no fee. It is called investment.

After all, you are a trader and one day when you have made it big, you may be approached by newbies and you likewise charge them. But most importantly, if you invest into education, you are saving on market tuition from learning the lessons the hard way, on the expense of your account balance.

2. Pay Attention to the Financial News

Want to be the best trader around? Keep a close eye on the world around you especially business news. Stay updated about firms entangled in IP issues, Failed FDA nod, Board reshuffle, International projects, and dismal earnings estimates of the quarter.

Every news related to the firm you are making an investment in makes sense. Back your decision with these inputs. For a smarter decision while trading, keep abreast of every piece of information on your preferred investment firm.

3. Found Your Niche? Ace It!

Nobody can guarantee you a blockbuster return. You make your own choices and decisions and learn from your mistakes. Only you know which strategies or niches worked for you and which don’t. If you really have the zeal to excel in day trading, you need to be right on top of your business.

Once you have found the niche to work upon, become really good at that. Master it and it will enhance your odds of success in the trading manifold.

4. Treat it like a Business!

Have a hobby? Pursue it somewhere else. Making money and day trading is a serious business. You don’t do it for fun so even before you start to trade, you need to settle with the fact that it is a serious, time-consuming business and it will take time to break even. If you want to gamble, Las Vegas might have better odds.

5. Follow the Pros

Julius Caesar once said, “Experience is the teacher of all things”. Trading experts, despite their level of training, have a lot to boast, thanks to experience.

Follow the moves of the pros and find out what are they investing in? When do they buy? When do they sell? For how long do they hold? Try and understand how profit is made. You can learn a great deal from the mistakes they once made and then harness them to your advantage.

6. Have Patience

Rome was not built in a day. It takes time to master any skill and the same goes with stock trading. It can give you the best returns only if you trade wisely. Researchers have shown that those who trade less tend to earn better than the one who trades very frequently.

This is just like stalking your prey and then striking when you have absolute chances of success. Always remember that when you trade in average and not-so-good setups, you lose on good deals and eventually your profits take a hit. Therefore, one crucial day trading tips are that quality matters over quantity.

7. Don’t be Emotional & Follow Day Trading Tips

The world of trading calls that you keep a level mind and remember that if you let your emotions get the better of you while trading, you will most likely lose out on your money. Emotions make you take irrational, impulsive decisions which should never happen.

Frequent errors like letting your losses get out of proportion, adding to a losing position, not making timely withdrawals et cetera are made time and again. People fall into the emotional trap and make unconsidered decisions. And while you cannot help having them, learning to control your emotions will go a long way in positioning you as a shrewd trader. Work on the emotional quotient and you’ll make wiser decisions.

8. Sharing is Caring

Now that you have learned from your mistakes and other’s as well, it is time to share. You must share the experience you had while trading. You can start a blog, a YouTube channel or other medium for reaching out. Furthermore, you can have a comment section for answering the questions of your visitors.

This will not only help others but will certainly keep you disciplined. This habit will make you more accountable and you might think twice before making a trade you know, you should not be making.

9. When There Are No Good Plays, Don’t Trade!

What? Do not be shocked as this is no less a practical tip than the rest. Sometimes it is good that you don’t trade. Trading just for the mere fact is not a smart choice.

Trade only when you see money lying on the floor or the offer is too lucrative to let it go. Take your chances and remember that this is a highly dynamic world so weigh all possible benefits of making a move against sitting back and speculating.

10. Have Confidence

As obvious as it may sound, this is a key component of a refined trader. Whichever trading style you choose, you got to believe in yourself as failure to believe in the efforts you are putting or the decisions you are taking will never make you a winner. I might sound strange but people do not get good returns just because they cannot believe they will. This negative thinking results in negative returns.

Remember! Successful traders were also amateurs and novices when they started out. Their success has come from the hard work and efforts they have put in. Make mistakes and learn from them to continue trading until you start making profits.

As mentioned in the beginning, these day trading tips shared will let you learn some important hacks to improve Your game. Apply these diligently and you are sure to advance in your endeavors.

If field goals were suddenly worth four points and touchdowns were worth five, football coaches would change their strategies. This type of scoring change has occurred in the estate planning field, but many people keep using their old playbooks.

Recent income and estate tax updates have adjusted how the planning game should be played. If your estate plan was drafted before they came into effect, reconsidering how you structure your estate could save you tens of thousands, or even millions, of dollars.

The Changing Rules

To understand these rule changes, we should rewind to the year 2000. The federal estate tax only applied to estates exceeding $675,000 and was charged at rates up to 55 percent. Long-term capital gains were taxed at 20 percent. Since then, the amount that can pass free of estate tax has drifted higher, to $5.43 million in 2015, and the top estate tax rate has dropped to 40 percent. On the other hand, the top ordinary income tax rate of 39.6 percent when coupled with the 3.8 percent Net Investment Income tax is now higher than the federal estate tax rate.

Although the top capital gains tax rate of 23.8 percent (when including the 3.8 percent Net Investment Income tax), remains less than the estate tax rate, these changes in tax rate differentials can significantly modify the best financial moves in planning an estate. While estate tax used to be the dangerous player to guard, now income taxes can be an equal or greater opponent.

Besides the tax rate changes, the biggest development that most people’s estate plans don’t address is a relatively new rule known as the portability election. Before the rule was enacted in 2011, if a spouse died without using his or her full exemption, the unused exemption was lost. This was a primary reason so many estate plans created a trust upon the first spouse’s death. Portability allows the unused portion of one spouse’s $5.43 million personal exemption to carry over to the survivor. A married couple now effectively has a joint exemption worth twice the individual exemption, which they can use in whatever way provides the best tax benefit. Portability is only available if an estate tax return is filed timely for the first spouse who dies.

From a federal tax standpoint, if a married couple expects the first spouse to die with less than $5.43 million of assets, relying on portability is a viable strategy for minimizing taxes and maximizing wealth going to the couple’s heirs. Estate planning for families with less than $10.86 million in assets is now much more about ensuring that property is distributed in accordance with the couple’s wishes and with the degree of control that they wish to maintain than it is about saving taxes. However, state estate taxes can complicate the picture because they may apply to smaller estates.

Below are a number of plays that families who will be subject to the estate tax should consider to optimize their taxes in today’s environment. Although many of the techniques are familiar, the way they are being used has changed.

The New Estate Planning Plays

Empowering Your Plan’s “Quarterback”

A successful quarterback has a solid group of coaches providing him with guidance, but is also allowed to think on his feet. Similarly, the quarterback of an estate, the executor or a trustee, needs to be given a framework in which to make his or her decisions but also flexibility regarding which play to run. Today’s estate planning documents should acknowledge that the rules or the individual’s situation may change between the time documents are signed and the death or other event that brings them into effect. Flexibility can be accomplished by expressly providing executors and trustees with the authority to make certain tax elections and the right to disclaim assets, which may allow the fiduciaries to settle the estate in a more tax-efficient manner. Empowering an executor has its risks, but building a solid support team of advisers will help ensure he or she takes the necessary steps to properly administer the estate.

Maximize the Value of Your Basis Adjustment

It’s a common misconception that lifetime gifts automatically reduce your estate tax liability. Since the two transfer tax systems are unified, lifetime gifts actually just reduce the amount that can pass tax-free at death. Lifetime gifts accomplish marginal wealth transfer only when a taxpayer makes a gift and that gift appreciates outside of the donor’s estate. In the past, people generally wanted to make gifts as early as possible, but that is no longer always the most effective strategy due to income tax benefits of bequeathing assets.

One big difference between lifetime giving and transfers upon death is the way in which capital gains are calculated when the recipient sells the assets. With gifts of appreciated assets, recipients are taxed on the difference between the transferor’s cost basis, typically the amount the donor paid for the asset, and the sales price. The cost basis of inherited assets is adjusted to the fair market value of the assets on the date of the owner’s death (or, in a few cases, six months later).

When choosing which assets to give to heirs, it is especially important to make lifetime gifts of assets with very low appreciation and to hold onto highly appreciated assets until death. If a beneficiary inherits an asset that had $100,000 of appreciation at the donor’s death, the basis adjustment can save $23,800 in federal income taxes compared to if the beneficiary had received the same property as a lifetime gift. Unfortunately, the basis adjustment upon death works both ways. If the bequeathed asset had lost $100,000 between the time it was purchased and the owner’s death, the recipient’s cost basis would be reduced to the current fair market value of the property. Therefore, it is advantageous to realize any capital losses before death if possible.

Holding onto appreciated assets until death is appealing for income tax purposes, but might not be advisable if the asset is a concentrated position or no longer fits with your overall portfolio objectives. For these types of assets, it’s worth analyzing whether the capital gains tax cost is worth incurring right away or if you should pursue another strategy, such as hedging, donating the asset to charity or contributing the property to an exchange fund.

Choosing not to fund a credit shelter trust upon the first spouse’s death is a perfect example of maximizing the value of the basis adjustment. These trusts were typically funded upon the first spouse’s death to ensure that none of the first spouse’s exemption went to waste. Since the portability rules allow the surviving spouse to use the deceased spouse’s unused exemption amount, it is no longer essential to fund a credit shelter trust. Instead, allowing all of the assets to pass to the surviving spouse directly allows you to capture a step-up in basis for assets upon the first spouse’s death, and then another after that of the second spouse. Depending on the amount of appreciation and the time between the two spouses’ deaths, the savings can be substantial.

Annual Gifting

Making annual gifts is a traditional strategy that remains attractive today. In addition to the $10.86 million that a couple can give away during their lifetime or at death, there are also some “freebie” situations where gifts don’t count towards this total. You can make gifts up to the annual exclusion amount, currently $14,000, to an unlimited number of individuals, and you can double this amount by electing to gift split on a gift tax return or by having your spouse make separate gifts to the same recipients.

Transferring $14,000 may not seem like a meaningful estate tax planning strategy for someone with more than $11 million, but the numbers can add up quickly. For example, if a married couple has three married adult children, each of whom has two children of their own, the couple could transfer $336,000 to these relatives each year using just their annual exemptions. If the recipients invest these funds, the future appreciation also accrues outside of the donors’ estates, and the income may be taxed at lower rates.

Contributing the annual exclusion gifts to 529 Plan education savings accounts for the six grandchildren can accelerate the gifting process and increase the income tax benefits. A special election allows you to front-load five years’ worth of annual exclusion gifts into a 529 Plan, which would currently allow $840,000 in total gifts to the six grandchildren. In this scenario, the grandparents would not be allowed to make any tax-free gifts to the grandchildren during the following four tax years. Since assets in a 529 Plan grow tax-deferred and withdrawals for qualified educational expenses are tax-free, you can realize substantial income tax savings here. If you assume the only growth in the accounts is 4 percent capital gains, which are realized each year, that results in about $8,000 in annual income federal tax savings per year, assuming the donor is in the top tax bracket.

You can also pay a student’s tuition directly to the college or university, since these payments are exempt from gift tax. This exception applies to medical expenses and health insurance premiums as well, as long as payments are made directly to the provider.

Given that annual exclusion gifts don’t impact the $5.43 million lifetime exemption, I recommend making these gifts early and often, but remember to give away cash or assets that have very little realized appreciation. The earlier you make a gift, the more time the assets have to appreciate and pay income to the recipient.

Lifetime Charitable Giving

Earlier I mentioned that you want to avoid giving away appreciated securities during your lifetime. The exception to that rule is a gift to charity. By donating appreciated securities that you have held for more than one year, you can get a charitable deduction for the market value of the security and also avoid paying the capital gains tax you would incur if you were to sell the asset.

If you know you have charitable intentions, it is more effective to donate appreciated securities earlier in life, rather than at death, since doing so removes future appreciation of the assets from your estate.

Using Trusts to Increase the Effectiveness of Transfers

Lifetime transfers to standard irrevocable trusts are no longer as appealing as they used to be, now that the estate tax rate is closer to the capital gains rate. Assets transferred to irrevocable trusts during the grantor’s lifetime typically do not receive a basis step-up upon the grantor’s death. Therefore, determining whether it is more appealing to make lifetime transfers or bequests in a specific circumstance requires making assumptions and analyzing probable outcomes.

Nonetheless, funding certain trusts in conjunction with other planning techniques can increase the planning’s effectiveness. An intentionally defective grantor trust (IDGT) is one of the most appealing types of trusts for wealth transfer purposes, because the donor is treated as owner of the trust assets for income tax purposes but not for estate and gift tax purposes. A defective grantor trust is a disregarded entity for tax purposes, so any income that the trust earns is taxable to the grantor. By paying the tax on trust income, the grantor effectively transfers additional wealth to the beneficiary.

Another popular strategy is for a grantor to make a low interest rate loan to a defective grantor trust. The trust then invests the funds. So long as the trust’s portfolio outperforms the interest rate charged on the loan, the excess growth is shifted to the trust with no transfer tax consequence.

One of the common ways to cause a trust to be intentionally defective is for the trust document to allow the grantor to retain the power to substitute assets held by the trust for other assets. Assuming a trust has this provision, it is very powerful to routinely swap highly appreciated assets held by the trust that would not be eligible for a basis step-up with assets of equal value held by the grantor that have little to no appreciation, such as cash.

Rather than funding a credit shelter trust upon the first spouse’s death, a surviving spouse might choose to receive all of the assets outright and then immediately fund an IDGT that includes the power to substitute assets. The trust’s income would be taxed to the surviving spouse, allowing for additional wealth transfer, and the grantor could use the swapping power to minimize the income tax cost of the lost basis adjustment.

Any transfer technique, such as a grantor retained annuity trust (GRAT), that allows a donor to transfer assets without generating a gift is also valuable, since it helps preserve the lifetime exemption amount as long as possible, thus maximizing the assets that can benefit from adjusted basis.

Finally, trusts can be useful for keeping assets out of your estate that never should have been included in it. For example, wealthy individuals should generally purchase life insurance through an irrevocable trust, rather than directly in the insured individual’s name. Life insurance owned by decedents is includible in their taxable estates. By creating a trust funded through annual exclusion gifts and having the trust purchase the policy, you can ensure that the estate tax does not take 40 percent of the policy’s proceeds.